Here is a look at the 10 must-see conference games in the Big 12 this season:
10. TCU at Texas Tech, Sept. 12, 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN -- Horned Frogs Freshman All-America defensive end Devonte Fields makes his season debut after serving a two-game suspension for violating team rules. He'll be trying to overpower promising offensive tackle Le'Raven Clark. An upset win would set the tone for first-year Red Raiders head coach Kliff Kingsbury.
9. Oklahoma at Kansas, Oct. 19, time/network TBD -- Upset alert? The Sooners arrive in Lawrence coming off a demanding three-game stretch against Notre Dame, TCU and Texas -- they might look past the Jayhawks. Kansas running back James Sims is one of the most underrated players in the nation and nearly knocked off the Longhorns with 176 rushing yards last season.
8. Baylor at Oklahoma State, Nov. 23, time/network TBD -- This ranking could be way too low by the time this game featuring two of the most balanced spread offenses in college football actually takes place. The Cowboys are a slight favorite in the jumbled Big 12 and the Bears are its most intriguing dark-horse contender.
7. TCU at Oklahoma, Oct. 5, time/network TBD -- Bob Stoops has been nearly invincible at home in Owen Field, with only five losses in 14 seasons leading the Sooners. However, three have come in the last two years and TCU head coach Gary Patterson delivered another to open the 2005 season, so the Horned Frogs are unlikely to be intimidated in their first visit as a conference foe.
6. Oklahoma State at Texas, Nov. 16, time/network TBD -- Another potential de-facto championship game -- sense a trend is developing? -- should be another wildly entertaining shootout between the Cowboys and Longhorns. The 41-36 Texas win last season featured 1,016 yards of total offense.
5. Baylor at TCU, Nov. 30, time/network TBD -- The TCU defense smothered the Bears, holding them to a season-low 21 points and 106 rushing yards last season. But that was before running back Lache Seastrunk became a regular part of the offense, a decision that propelled Baylor into the hottest team in the conference over the second half of the season.
4. Oklahoma at Baylor, Nov. 7, 7:30 p.m. ET, Fox Sports 1 -- The last time the Sooners came to Waco, Texas, Robert Griffin III essentially locked up the Heisman Trophy on a dramatic game-winning touchdown pass with eight seconds remaining. Could this be a similar defining moment for the explosive and confident Seastrunk?
3. Texas at Baylor, Dec. 7, time/network TBD -- Does the great state of Texas still belong to the Longhorns? Much of the evidence indicated no. Texas A&M has the spotlight after a successful first season in the SEC, while Baylor is almost as trendy thanks to the RGIII phenomenon. The Longhorns can change all that by being back in contention for a conference crown and BCS bid on the final Saturday of the 2013 season.
2. Oklahoma at Oklahoma State, Dec. 7, time/network TBD -- Bedlam was just that last year in a thrilling overtime affair that saw Sooners quarterback Blake Bell score the tying touchdown with four seconds left in the fourth quarter. The stakes could be huge for one or both of the in-state rivals, with a winner-takes-all affair a real possibility.
1. Oklahoma vs. Texas (in Dallas), Oct. 12, time/network TBD -- Half burnt orange, half crimson and cream, all fried foods from the Texas State Fair. Nothing matches the unique environment at the Cotton Bowl for the Red River Shootout, but the game hasn't lived up to the surroundings the last two years, with the Sooners slaughtering Bevo's bunch by 38 and 42 points. The loser will almost certainly be out of the Big 12 title chase.
Follow Dan Greenspan on Twitter @DanGreenspan.
